Online retail is ever-changing, creating both challenges and opportunities for sellers. As we move into 2024, let’s take a look at some top e-commerce trends that will shape the future of online commerce and how BigCommerce merchants can adopt them for success.
Sustainability and Eco-Friendly Practices
In response to growing environmental concerns, consumers are increasingly prioritizing sustainable and ethically sourced products. Brands that adopt eco-friendly practices are likely to gain a competitive edge in the market.
How to Incorporate Sustainability
First, look at the products you’re selling and determine which might be considered sustainable. Do you offer any items made from recycled materials, or which help consumers reduce waste? Highlight these items in a new category on your website. If you don’t have any eco-friendly products, consider adding some, whether it’s from existing suppliers or using a drop-shipping app.
Next, think about what eco-friendly practices your business has in place. This could be anything from recycling efforts to using eco-friendly packaging to powering your office with renewable energy. Make sure to include information about these practices on your About Us page, or even in a section on your homepage. If your company doesn’t do anything sustainably, think about what you could change to become more eco-friendly.
Social Commerce
Social media platforms continue to evolve into powerful e-commerce hubs, offering seamless shopping experiences and direct purchase options. In addition, leveraging influencer marketing and user-generated content can enhance brand visibility and drive sales in this space.
How to Become More Social
Social media marketing has been one of the top e-commerce trends for years, but many merchants still haven’t made the leap. The easiest way to take advantage of social shopping is through BigCommerce’s integrations with Facebook and Instagram. You can connect your store to your Facebook account and then feed your products to your Facebook store. Once approved, you can push your products to Instagram. This allows you to sell on both platforms directly, as well as easily advertise your items to your followers and others interested in what you sell.
If you’re still using the built-in BigCommerce reviews system, consider switching to an advanced reviews app. They provide additional functionality like ability for reviewers to upload photos/videos, and allow other shoppers to vote on reviews’ helpfulness. In addition, you’ll be able to highlight reviews throughout your store and publish them to Google and social media websites. Some of the more popular reviews apps include JustUno, Stamped.io, Reviews.io and Judge.me (which is free for BigCommerce merchants).
Depending on what you sell, you may also want to add influencer marketing to your mix. You can attract influencers with an affiliate program, or by signing up with one of the influencer-specific apps in the BigCommerce app store.
Subscription-Based Selling
Subscription services have been gaining popularity across various industries, offering shoppers convenience and value through recurring deliveries of curated products or services. Merchants can capitalize on this trend by developing subscription offerings tailored to their target audience.
How to Utilize Subscriptions
Subscription selling isn’t appropriate for every e-commerce store, but there are plenty of merchants who are missing out by not incorporating it. Subscriptions are a great way to get guaranteed repeat sales from shoppers without spending more to acquire them.
Lots of e-commerce stores offer at least a few consumable items which shoppers need to replenish on a regular basis. These are ideal for subscriptions. If that doesn’t apply to you, consider offering an “X of the month club” that sends a different item (or items) each month. I’ve seen clients come up with very creative ways to incorporate subscriptions into their stores. You can find several great options for subscription functionality in the BigCommerce app store.
Conclusion
Staying ahead of the curve in e-commerce requires an understanding of the latest trends and a willingness to experiment with new ways of selling online. By embracing sustainability, leveraging social commerce platforms, and utilizing subscription selling, BigCommerce merchants can position themselves for success in the competitive digital marketplace of 2024 and beyond.
If you’re a BigCommerce merchant and need help incorporating one of these e-commerce trends for your online store, contact me and let’s chat!